"Do you think he'll turn up?"
"I'm pretty certain, he's curious which proves he's keen to find out about this whole situation."
Dan sighs, running a clammy hand through his disheveled hair as he sits on my couch, waiting for any sign of Zayn. I cast my eyes outside the window, spotting a distant figure down the path.
"Look, that could be Zayn! Calm down, if he doesn't turn up we can always talk to him in school, nobody ever bothers with me anyway, so no one would hear what we're talking 'bout, yeah?" I reassure, though I'm internally hoping Zayn turns up because really, I just want him to get lost and out my life; that'd be great.
"Maybe." Dan answers, fiddling with his fingers and not seeming entirely focused.
"You okay?" I ask, Dan nodding,"yeah, just thinking, 's all."
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Dan sighs - or as he likes to say, exhaling deeply - and slumps back into the cushions. "I'm just...so confused, yeah? I've not seen Zayn in so long and he's changed so much! What if he won't stop pestering you?"
"Oh, don't worry about me! I've proved them all wrong many a time and I can fight for myself, I'd probably be in hospital if I didn't." I say, patting Dan's shoulder gently and noticing the distant figure is now not so distant.
The figure is now a person, clothed in a simple tracksuit with black hair swept back into a quiff. It's a boy, a teenager to be precise, and is either Zayn or an identical twin that I've never been told about.
"He's here." I state, pointing outside the window and smirking as Dan leaps from the couch and rushes to the door, quick to usher Zayn in.
"Hey, err, hi guys." Zayn coughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck and shifting his weight between both feet.
"Take your shoes off." I say, refusing to acknowledge his greeting. Zayn quickly obliges, it surprises me, actually. Since when did he listen to me?
"So, it's been a while, hasn't it Zeezee boo?" Dan says, and I instantly burst into a fit of laughter, because really, who even has that kind of nickname? Oh, his reputation would be gone in a second; I've just found a great thing to hold against him!
"Don't. Call. Me. That." Zayn spits, narrowing his eyes, although the corners of his mouth turn up.
"Aw, c'mon, you know you missed it!" Dan chuckles, pulling Zayn in for a hug, who returns it rather enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Zayn grins, glancing at me and lowering his head. I raise an eyebrow and turn to face Dan, who grabs Zayn's wrist and pulls him down to sit on the couch, "we need to talk. Now. No excuses."
"Er, why? Don't you want to come see the kids at mine? They would be so excited, and Wal-" Zayn rushes nervously but Dan cuts him off with a shake of his head, "no, we're going to talk now, we can see everyone later. I heard you've been a little shit to Destiny, and neither of us appreciate it."
Zayn winces, yet the only move he makes is to glance up at me and look back down silently. Dan lifts the boy's chin up with two fingers, looking him dead in the eye with a disappointed look.
"Why are you the way you are? You'll be overwhelmed when I tell you why I moved from California!" Dan says, earning a bemused look from Zayn.
"Sorry."
Both and Dan share a glance, and Zayn becomes silent again. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, Zayn!"
"Well what am I supposed to say? It's not just me, y'know! I'm not even that bad..." Zayn snaps, growing quieter with each word uttered.
"Regardless! You can't just go 'round degrading Destiny the way you do, think of it in her perspective! I'm going to tell you why I moved here, and you're going to listen up, yeah?" Dan starts, tone sharp and cold like his eyes. "Back in California, several girls were bullied during different periods, so I defended them, usually ending in fights. I always won, and the girls would be left alone. I got into that many fights, though, that I was expelled. This happened in about three schools and then mum told us we had to move. I never back down when someone is bullied, not matter who they are. Get the picture?"
Zayn swallows, rubbing his hands over his pants nervously and avoiding eye contact. He nods when Dan nudges his shoulder, and finally, raises his eyes.
"Just because you're my cousin it doesn't mean I'm going to let off easy, you need to be taught a lesson, Malik." Dan sneers, standing up and pulling Zayn to his feet.
"I'm not 'aving a fight with no one, back off!" Zayn spits, shoving Dan back, which only encourages him further.
"Tough, we can have one now or in front of all your little friends, which one?" Dan offers, smiling wickedly as Zayn whispers a now.
The two begin circling each other, Zayn growing increasingly nervous, whilst I stand back and watch. Dan swings a punch at Zayn, who dodges and sends his own one, which is blocked.
"Pussy."
~*~
After quite an eventful scuffle, the cousins sit down together, hugging each other and apologising. Zayn moves to sit beside me, pulling me in for another hug.
"I'm so sorry, Des! I-er-I need to tell you something." Zayn says, continuing as I urge him to, "I, oh my god this is so stupid! Okay, Destiny, I've liked you for a long, long time now, but I couldn't tell anyone, and I didn't want you knowing, so I pretended to hate you! Urgh, I'm so pathetic! Y'know, I just wanted to fit in and I wanted to ask you out when you first saw you but then the boys started having a go at you and I thought it wasn't fair but then Louis had a fight with me," Zayn takes a deep breath, exhausted it seems from rushing his words, "and told me to man up and that if I dared like you they'd make sure my life was hell, and nobody wants that!"
I stare at him, keeping an nonchalant expression as I contemplate the chances of us being a couple. Just as I thought, zero. Zilch. Nada. Nope.
"Look, it's nice that I have an admirer and all but we could never be together. I don't even like you! And how many times have I been threatened and intimidated by you-" Zayn cuts me off, "It wasn't just me!" he exclaims.
"It doesn't matter! I'm talking about you and you only, get it? This...this isn't...I can't." I place my head in my hands and sigh deeply, finally allowing my bottled-up emotions to show.
"Hey, I'm so sorry, I'd do anything, anything for forgiveness! Please just tell me what to do!" Zayn cries, hesitantly splaying his hand on my back.
"Don't touch me. Don't act like this is nothing! Zayn, what am I supposed to say? I'm not just goin' to forget what's happened, am I? I just...I don't know how to react!" I say, struggling to explain. Why is this so hard?
"I'm sorry..." I look up, hearing soft cries. Zayn rests his elbows on his knees, covering his face as he weeps.
Dan pulls him in for hug, which he simply collapses into. I stare at him, watching how he breaks down. After a few minutes, he calms down and his breathing regulates.
"Oh Zayn, you really do care.." the latter nods, looking at me with puffy, swollen eyes. He shifts, his shirt pulling down and revealing his neck, which is marked with finger shaped bruises.
"Who did that to you?" I ask, pointing to the marks. Zayn shakes his head, covering them and breaking eye contact, "Louis."
"Come on, its getting late, I should go. It was nice seeing you Destiny, maybe things will work out soon.."
And with that, he jumps up, rushes from the room and leaves.
